Quilted, But Not Bound

Finally, (after much singing and dancing

with thread running out on the bottom and then the top!)

I've managed to get this quilt off the Longarm...

A joy to quilt as I loved the pattern

(and the thread!),

now I just need to bind it...

I've backed it in purple

that I pieced...

And quilted it with 'Feather Curls'

by Timeless Quilting Designs...

I'm thinking to bind it in purple

(but then I am rather partial to purple! LOL)

*****

Miss Kalico continues to grow

Surprisingly so too do my vegetables!

I was rather slack this year,

but we're still managing to harvest a few beans...

Lots of radishes...

(hate them! LOL)

And quite a few prickly cucumbers...

So Summer has not been bad to us at all this year!

Red, White & Blue

I finished sewing down the binding on a quilt.

But the lovely sun we've been having

has been replaced by cooling rain

so I couldn't photograph said quilt.

Instead here are a few photos

of my flowers that have decided to flower

despite being neglected by me this year...

Fitting colours for the Queen's Jubilee ;)

I believe (could be wrong)
that this white flower is a type of perrenial Geranium...

I caught this bee, flitting among the wallflowers

like a whirling dervish :) ...

Sunday Sunflowers

We went to visit my DSIL yesterday and she had the most gorgeous sunflowers

in her front and back gardens...

This is one form of yellow that I do like :-)
(Especially when the bees like them too!)

Her front door looked so pretty...

Spot the ladybird...

She also had these berries which I had in my wedding bouquet.

I had them combined with white roses...

Now that was a while ago...

How Many 9 Patches Does It Take...

... to realise you are making them the wrong size for the project you have in mind?

30!

I had a bit of a sewing session this morning as I was up early and needed to sew. I took a wodge of my Leader & Ender 4 patches and made them into 9 patches. Later I cut setting HST's and then, and only then, did I realise they were the wrong size! Oh well, never mind... they'll be used for something else I'm sure...

*********

I never confessed that while in Germany visiting Birgit and meeting Bonnie Hunter, I bought ALL 3 of Bonnie's books (and Tonya's too!)

I needed inspiration for a very mini cot quilt I have been asked to make for someone's granddaughter's doll...

So 'Sister's Nine Patch' it was from Bonnie's Adventures with Leaders & Enders...

Now to quilt it!

*********

The garden continues to grow and we are enjoying all it has to offer,

including courgettes/zuchinnis which are absolutely delicious in a cake

filled with home made lemon curd and topped with cream cheese and lemon icing!

*********

The weekend saw us head off for a picnic. DH takes fishing for tiddlers quite seriously :-)

They must find it so curious to be fished out, admired and then thrown back after a bit...

Wordless Wednesday

It's a Wallflower

With reference to my previous post...

...the plant attracting the butterflies and bees is called Erysimum,

a.k.a. a Wallflower.

No-one would ever describe me as one ;D

Buttons, Butterflies & Baby Hedgehogs

I love buttons, I am always on the lookout for buttons and when I saw these being sold by one of my favourite charities at the Street Market on Saturday, I had to snap them up: all three jars of them! I have thrown them in a small cake tin - I never bake small cakes LOL so at least now the tin is being used :-)

Our new 'Buddleia' or 'Butterfly Bush' is in bloom and it, along with some of my other new plants, has attracted some lovely butterflies:

(Not sure what this plant is called, but it's right next to the Buddleia so benefits from the butterfly visitors too.)

 

And our garden is home to other creatures too. A little hedgehog can be seen late in the afternoon/early evening walking around looking for food...

here he/she is in the potato plants...

I hope to be able to get around to some actual quilty sewing this week as I have been doing more custom sewing of late. Although I do have a repair and a few small custom orders to get done before I can work on my baby quilt, I'll hopefully have a burst of energy (or a big coffee!) and get those out the way quickly!

Wordless Wednesday - "Boy Carrot"

;-D

Grow Your Own: Courgettes/Zucchinis

My job again this year has been the patio plants and I have not been doing a very good job, however against all odds a few courgettes are making their way to the dinner table...

The standard variety, left too long that it's almost a marrow...

The yellow variety that look almost anaemic :-(

And in other garden news:

Look what I found in the vegetable patch!! Yeuuughhh!

We have been regularly eating broccoli...

Our littlest man pulls and pulls and eventually a cauliflower comes out!

And my flowers are coming along nicely...

Love all the purple ones!

Grow Your Own: Cauliflowers

First Cauliflower....

He's only 4, but he loves getting involved which we love...

Very proud:

And it was delicious! Vegetables just do taste better home-grown!

And we now own a second-hand greenhouse too, thanks to wonderful friends who sold it to us on their way to a big adventure in another country!

Perhaps we will have some luck with tomatoes now - we are only trying 2 plants after last year's failed crop from 20!

Happy Growing and Sowing!!

Grow Your Own: Potatoes

It can be really difficult getting Mr 'I hate sunny days' outside, but today DH asked him to come and help dig up some early potatoes and he was really keen...

Getting your hands full of dirt in the search for spuds is clearly very satisfying...

He also ate so many potatoes at dinner because we kept reminding him that these were the ones he'd dug up!

DH ate the smallest one once I'd steamed them...

And they don't need any salt or butter, they are just so tasty.

Harvesting potatoes: A game the whole family can play :-D