August will soon be over......

The heat is here in full force, but once in a while, a little miracle happens and we get the most beautiful blooms, even in the middle of August! I loved being able to sew in my room and look out the window to these lavender blossoms when it has been too hot to get outside.  Today I broke down and went to the gym because it is impossible to walk outside in the weather without feeling miserable.  The humidity has been back with lots of clouds, but unfortunately no rain.  I realize how lucky we are though, when I see all the coverage of hurrican Irene hitting the East coast.  So ok, maybe I can take the heat for just a little longer!

Some color amongst the rocks is a welcome sight!








But there are other fun things to do even when being home is the best answer to concrete so hot you can fry your own breakfast right there in the front yard! 

So I have started a new quilt, with wool applique, just for my own satisfaction!  This is the beginnings of a first block from the BOM pattern called Primitive Garden.  I'm using hand dyed wools and Valdini threads to hand applique them in place.  After the block is finished, I plan to add a few beads and buttons and any other embellishments needed to make it complete.

Here's the pattern, so you can see that I have a long way to go!  It will be a work of love in progress over the next few months.  I'm having the best time putting this quilt together!  It's a nice change.

What else have I been up to?  A little stitchery and 10 full blocks that are 13" each from my Legacy Pineapple Sundae kit I've had for well over 2 years.  I love these colors and the blocks are really fun to do too.  I never buy the color brown when I buy fabric, but this kit has totally changed my mind.  The brown in this quilt is so rich and warm. 

With ten blocks made so far, each week I have a goal of at least two blocks in between all my other work so I can finish all 30 of them in time for winter.  They are time consuming but worth it. 

It takes tons of narrow 1 1/4" strips, all used in a variety of sequence to get a somewhat scrappy look.  They are a mess to keep track of, so I use these hangers to keep them under control!  I pull out the hangers near the cutting table and just cut the lengths I need as I go along, so every block will be different..... yet look the same.

This is a little stitchery I made for my new grandson that goes with the colors in his room. 

This is a long arm job I completed for a friend recently.  It was a small quilt with lots of personality for a quilter friend who use to be called "Mrs Beige" !  Margaret can hardly say she just uses beige anymore!  Congrats Margaret!

Market work will be ready soon and I'll keep you posted, but until then, just keep quilting!