Butterscotch and Blue

Butterscotch and Blue - I Love You.

It is 51" x 70"

A back view.  By the way, I'm waiting for 4 queen sized batts so I can start quilting these.

 At first I used this small tone on tone cheddar print, but.....

"STOP THE PRESSES!!" I found about half yard of this beloved toile'.  Totally worth piecing it to make it work.

The blue prints aren't as interesting as the neutrals but there some good oldies in there.

Nutmeg seemed to really love them, ha ha

I thought about adding a blue header and footer strip, but edited it out.  This is why I always audition ideas.  Because they aren't always good and that is okay.

 Here is my method on making borders so my quilts are straight.  I lay my top border across the middle of my quilt and put a pin at the left and right edge. 

 I do not cut it until it is sewn on, just in case!  You can see here that I did have to piece the border to be wide enough.

Then I move it to the top and and pin the edges first then smooth and ease it to fit.  It works perfectly every time.

I have to give photo assistant credit to my boy, Andrew.   Here he is getting ready to stand on a rock for the shoot. :)

 What a good sport,  he was very patient about me getting a shot of the quilt and bleeding heart garden.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive family.

Hooray it's May!   Although it is very chilly.

This year I had my hummingbird feeders ready for the first scout visits.  Welcome back Hummers!

Coco and took a stroll in town the other day.  As you can see people are really staying home here on the shoreline in Connecticut.

 The flower boxes and containers are very cheery and I thank the small business.

Comfort food this week was German Potato Salad as a side dish for BBQ Chicken on a Thursday!  There is no reason to wait for the next potluck or get together and everyone loved it

Click this link for the quick and easy recipe.  (not my photo)  I used gold and red little potatoes.  I'm a rebel that way.

Here is a sneak peak of a Community Service quilt that I'm working on.  There is a need for teen boy quilts for Habitat for Humanity.

Have a good weekend.  Please be safe as we are beginning to move around more.
xo

serenity sewing

Soft Quilt for a Hard Time.  This is what I'm making at the moment because I can't seem to concentrate and stay focused.

It started by just making string sets and trimming them into squares.  Neutrals are what I have the most of for some reason.

I made a little tape marker on my sewing machine for cutting longer strips to the right length, which is about 1 1/2" inches longer before trimming.

This was my first layout.  NOPE.  I just didn't love it.  It is not calming, and I am craving calm.

This speaks to me much more.  I like the columns and after a few neutrals I made a red one.

This spot in a red string was bothering me so I added fixed it.  You who know me know I usually don't "fix" things.  But I want order at the moment.  (these columns are not sewn together yet by the way.)

I started in on brown strings when a really funny thing happened.  I realized (late as usual) that I didn't need to cut the the top and bottom of the sets, just make a straight edge.   But I cut the first group at 5 1/2" wide instead of 6 1/2"  OOOOPS.   I used a different ruler and just sort of blew it. 

Now it is a "creative expression"  yeah, that's right it is now a design choice.
I think I'll finish this brown column and then add one more neutral column.

In other news; I cleaned out my book cases.  These are from Ikea and I love them.  I also moved a chair from my bedroom down the hall to my sewing room.  It's nice to have lunch and watch my TV from a rocking soft chair.

I'm currently watching West World from the beginning while simultaneously watching season 3.  Anyone else watching?

Here is  few things that made me happy this week.  This little display at Hammonasset State Beach at the Long Island Sound where I walk with coco.

 I am so grateful to have this wide open space to enjoy the fresh air.

I invited Hanna to my sewing room for Happy Hour and to watch the new "Making the Cut" fashion design show on Amazon.  Are you watching?  What do you think?  Sometimes it is fun to move the party to a different room.

 Luna and her house guest Momo watching the birds on a rainy morning.  They are getting along so well!

I hope are all doing okay.  This is a very extraordinary time in our world.  I am not one who tends to feel depressed or hopeless, but I have had my bouts with it recently.  

Stay Well everyone!

xo

Fall Follies

It's Fall Ya'll!

I've been busy finishing my medallion hand quilting and teaching fun houses again last week with The Warwick Valley Quilters.

I packed up a few quilts and headed over to Chatfield State Park to share some of my fall quilts with you.

 This is one of my favorite features of the park.  Can anyone really resist a covered bridge?

I used large carpenter clamps to hang them.  I almost dropped one, but the water is shallow and it is only water afterall.

This is a horse trail that winds around the outside park.  Coco loves it.  This is a basket block exchange I made years ago.

My nine patch strippy.  This was also a block swap from many years ago.

This may look like a Jo Morton pattern, but her pattern came out after she took a photo of my quilt while visiting my guild. 😶😯

A Signature String quilt signed by Beaver Island Retreat Quilters.

Hand quilted, rough edge machine applique.  I like the mix of different techniques in this one.

Fall Maple Leaf quilt, a block of month win from the 90s.

The backing is a beloved fabric we used call fruit and fiber.

Sumptuous Stars from the NJ State Documentation Book.

Goes perfectly with the bittersweet on the boardwalk.

This ranger statue made a perfect model.

He stands sentinel outside a nature center building.

Thanks for joining me and revisiting some of my quilts and thank you Kyle and Cecile and many other bloggy friends for inspiring me to take some location quilt photos.

Happy Fall Ya'll!
xo