I Love My Porch & Backyard

No sewing or fabric anything going on here lately. The outdoors have been just too pretty.. and there were several flats of posies that needed put somewhere.
This is the side part of my wrap-around porch. We don't usually sit out in the front part because there is too much traffic. But this is a cozy little nook. The morning sun is just shining across.. and I had to bring my flats of flowers up a couple nights ago because we still had frost warnings.

So now that we're probably not going to get any more freezing.. I hope.. I've been out putting the pansies and things in pots and planting all around the beds. Kinda shabby.. but I've noticed that's the way most things are around here..

Floral fragrance is everywhere. Along with the pansies in the pots and our neighbor's honeysuckle bush, this Fringe Tree in my front yard is delightful.
My new Spinner.. he's out in the front too. I have a little island with a couple of small trees and some hosta.. and some Snow-on-the-Mountain. I also plant geraniums after the tulips are done. We had to take out one little tree that died.. so I thought it would be a good place for my new Robin. You should see his wings go when the slightest breeze blows by. This was a Christmas gift from a lovely friend. ☺I love spinners!

We also love to sit on the deck in the back. Our yard is partially fenced in, and it's so private and quiet back here. We were having our brunch here this morning and Mr Attic asked me if I got a picture of the Irises. So I ran in and got the camera. This is the first year they've really bloomed here in this new spot in front of the Burning Bush.. so pretty to look at from where we sit.. (never mind that garbage can! My back yard.. and everything out here is kinda scrappy.. like my quilts. ☺)

Then I decided to show you the Blueberries. My daughter and I planted them last year.. they have a lot of blossoms, and some have already started to turn to tiny berries. So exciting.

And this is a new Raspberry bush we just planted. I found this little bamboo thingy yesterday at the close-out store.. to hold it up.
And if you were reading here a year ago.. you might remember that I thought I killed my daisies..? Well.. I didn't! Yippee!

And I thought I'd show you this old birdbath. It's been here forever. But lately I've noticed it's been a "bee bath" more than birds for some reason. Our neighbors just got some Honey Bee hives, and I have been noticing a lot more of the little buzzing creatures on my flowers.. they also love getting a drink in the birdbath.

It simply has been so nice out.. I'm not getting anything done indoors. But I'll try to have something more textile oriented in the next post.

Hope you're having a lovely spring!..(or fall if that's the case) ☺

This is a holiday weekend in the USA, Memorial Day.. and there is a parade that goes right in by our house. Lots of people stop and sit here to watch it.. and we never have to leave our front steps.

What's Been Keeping You?

Spring Beauties..





Bleeding Heart..

Honey Locust and Gold Finch..

Viola..

Flowering Pear...

And this lovely surprise came in the mail too. From Terri at Purple&Paisley. I have the best friends in the whole world ☺

I owe so many emails and blog visits. And my sewing machine is gathering dust. Maybe if it rains...

Bag of Goodies

Just a quick post this morning because I have DUTIES to attend. Like sorting through this bag of goodies I just brought home from a rummage sale. Not really sure what all is in here, but I know at least one feedsack. The bag is totally stuffed with fabric except for the red-handled kitchen utensils and that box of greeting cards with Pennsylvania Dutch sayings. Some very nice large yardage, but also a lot of remnants.. I'll have to go through and test each one to see if it is a blend..(do you all know how to do that with a flame?).. Then I'll need to mark everything before deciding where to put it! So I better grab a sandwich and start playing get to work. Can't wait to open that baggie that looks like it has a double wedding ring started...
And oh. I know I keep saying this is the brightest my burning bush is going to get.. but I think this time it's really true. Maybe it just looks prettier now that the trees and ornamental grass behind it has turned colors too..



Hope you are all having a creative day. I know I missed Vintage Thingies Thursday this week.. but I'm pretty sure some of the stuff in my bag fits the category. :-)

Pinwheels and Geese

Ta-da. Here are the pinwheels sewn together. I've been working on them most of the weekend.

I debated on sashing in-between each block.. many of you suggested it. But I also liked the look of them all together close. And since I was able to make just enough contrasting dark and light pinwheels..(you don't think I planned that.. do you?).. I decided to go with them this way. I added one more row to my original 42 blocks because it didn't seem proportionate. So now it measures small.. like a lap quilt if I leave it just like this. However...

I had quite a few triangles left from the original blocks that I picked apart that simple did not go together at all to make pinwheels. So from the beginning I had in mind to make a flying geese border...This will make it measure approximately 42"x60".
I am really excited to see how this turns out. But I'm not looking forward really to making the geese. I can't line them up and sew them in any kind of fast and speedy way since they are already cut. I am going to have to cut all the little white triangles and sew them on. Unless someone has a better way. Please let me know if you do! But something to note.. these triangles left over are even worse as far as size and shape than the ones I've already sewn.. and those were pretty bad. They are going to take a lot of fiddling to get them to line up straight. But I think I can do it.

Now you need to go over and look at Terri's new livingroom carpet. :-)

And oh.. one more thing.. this was my Cotoneaster and Seargent Crab bush in the back yard today. I was pleasantly surprised to see them so colorful in the late afternoon sun...

Summer Stash Update

Just thought I would decorate this post a little with the Day Lilies that are gloriously parading in our back yard.

I confess I have not worked a whole lot more on my Summer Stash Challenge quilt since the last update. But there are at least 1/3 of the bloggers who signed up that HAVE.. and I want everyone to check out what they've been doing. Some of it is breathtaking! We have two Beth's, so I'm specifying them with their blog titles. We have two Amy's as well, but one of them has not given us her blog url as of yet.

• Amy- All My Stuff
• Anne Marie
• Beth- Simply Sewn
• Betsy
• Cheryl
• Jackie
• Juliann
• Karen
• Melanie
• Nanette
• Nedra
• Niki
• Suzie
• Ulla

Wonderful stuff going on here! Make sure you look and become inspired. And if I missed anyone's current update on your blog, please let me know!

Just a few thoughts about the challenge that we need to note. Please.. check over on the sidebar.. and if your name is not linked to your blog, it is because you have not given it to us yet and/or you are listed as a no-reply blogger, and we have absolutely no way of contacting you or even seeing what you are working on. We do want to include EVERYone who has signed up.. so please contact us either myself or Ulla. you can do that by either emailing us, or signing one of our blogs. Thanks!

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And a few weeks ago, I blogged about the blueberry bushes that we planted in the back yard. Here they are! Blue berries! I took a picture before eating them.

And one more Lily. This one was adopted from the neighbor's.. it was growing outside of their fence so it came here to live with the rest of the other lilies here. shhh.. don't tell her she looks a little different.

Batik

Is this not one gorgeous piece of fabric? It came in the mail yesterday from a very sweet blogger friend in Malaysia. M Kate was one of the first people to sign my blog, and I'm still not sure how she found me but I'm glad she did. Her site always has the most interesting places to visit.. things I would never see. This beautiful sarong was a present from her to me, and I'm not quite sure why except that she is just a very sweet and giving person. THANK-you M Kate! She told me to use it for quilts or something if I did not want to wear it as a sarong. But I can hardly imagine bringing myself to cut this into little pieces. It is VERY lovely batik, and actually the first thing that popped into my head was, wouldn't this make a stunning bag? maybe something in the fashion of Amy Butler? I am going to see if I can order a pattern or two. There are so many cute totes and slings out there anymore. And the sarong is two yards long. Plenty enough for two bags. :) I have some really good linen that would make a nice contrast fabric.
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Nothing new to show on the Summer Stash Challenge.. but it is VERY thrilling to see so many signing up for it. Ulla and I are just tickled about this. One participant has already finished one.
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And a stroll around the backyard.. lookie at the blueberries! I was not sure about these when we planted them.

And this is wild honeysuckle. We dug up a sprig in the woods once and planted it under a big old Norwegian spruce in the back. It smells heavenly. My husband thinks I should get some perfume like that. But number one, I am not a perfume kind of gal, and number two.. who can duplicate this scent in a bottle without making it smell like a ..... well I'll leave that word up to your imagination.

Blueberries and Fly-Swatters

Thank you all for the lovely comments on the baby quilt. :) I really appreciate each and every one. Such wonderful people in Blogland.

The baby shower on Saturday was lovely. But our weather here in Ohio has regressed. I know I should not complain, because we are not digging loved ones out from under rubble or trying to salvedge our belongings from 4 feet of water. 49F and rain is ok for spring. And the plants don't seem to mind it at all!

Here is my Cotoneaster. The little pink flowers are so tiny and dainty, and the leaves so shiny. It is one of my favorite plants in the back yard. Except it does tend to be quite invasive, and I am always chopping it back. In the winter it displays beautiful red berries which the cardinals love, and the robins feast on in the very early spring when they first arrive and there is nothing else to eat. I've been having such a fun time with my daughter too. For Earth Day she bought some Blueberry Bushes to plant in the back yard. They have been sitting here on the porch steps for weeks, we just have not had a chance to plant them. So yesterday we did that.. in the cold rain and wind. There was a tiny break with sunshine.. so we hurried!
I know absolutely nothing about growing these, so hopefully we are doing it right. We did follow the planting directions, which called for potting soil. We didn't have any here, so we hopped over to the Dollar General Store down the street and bought some. While we were in there, we spied the most adorable little fly-swatters and could not resist them. I don't know how sturdy they will be. You know when you are swatting at a wasp or a terrifying centipede, you tend to use all your might. At least I do. But they were so cute..

Anyways, back to the Blueberries. We found the sunniest place we could, which was a feat in and of itself because there isn't anywhere in our yard that gets full sun except for right in the middle of the yard up by the house. And they could not go there. So here they are way in the back.. where rabbits and sometimes deer will wonder and nibble. I have lost some little tree saplings to the deer already. So we'll have to put some kind of wiring around them. I'm pretty sure bunnies might like these.. but I don't know for certain. I'll have to look that up.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for a little short break. Some of my Dad's side of the family get together every May in Deep Creek Maryland. It is just a small group of aunts and uncles and cousins.. we rent a cottage there. Last time I went they did have internet connection, so I will be able to pop in.. and maybe I'll even get a chance to blog from there.

Hope you are all starting out the week on a lovely note!

Indoor Spring

So the warmth was short-lived. I will have to settle for an Indoor Spring today. I had forgotten that I made this little wool rabbit a few years ago, and found it on my daughter's dresser while I was looking for some clear nail polish this morning. (Yes, I was in your room, but I was not snooping around, and I will put the bunny right back). I'll have to see if I can find the pattern and make up a couple more. Plus there is another rabbit pattern I would like to try. It was from the early 1900's and I think will be a lot of fun.

Baskets and Bunnies and Spring Colors.


However, this is what it really looks like outside. Our trusty pooch has been on Squirrel Patrol all morning. I guess they are as hungry as the birds to get to the seeds. The little nuthatches are so pretty right now. Notice the one up on the suet. He seems to be looking right at us, doesn't he?

The rusty wheelbarrow will be much happier when it is filled with bright coleus.

And a cardinal has been singing all morning.